Chapter 10

Victor wanders the Alpine valley, finding solemn consolation in the glaciers’ grandeur. A stormy morning drives him to ascend Montanvert alone through desolate, dangerous paths. When the mists lift, the vast river of ice and Mont Blanc stir brief joy—until he suddenly sees the Creature racing toward him. After a furious confrontation, the Creature pleads for compassion, recounting his loneliness and suffering, and demands to be heard. Victor, torn by anger and uneasy duty, agrees to follow him across the ice to a mountain hut, where, by a fire, the Creature begins his story.